2001 Volvo XC70

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO XC70. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY STOPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART; HOWEVER, IT SHOOK VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER (MITCHELL VOLVO CARS OF SIMSBURY 384 HOPMEADOW STREET, SIMSBURY, CT 06070) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE MODULE NEEDED AN UPDATE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE MODULE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER SENT AN ELECTRICAL SPECIALIST TO THE LOCAL DEALER TO PROPERLY DIAGNOSE THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 105,000.

CAR ENGINE SURGES WITHOUT TOUCHING GAS PEDAL AND CAR ACCELERATES WITHOUT WARNING. ENGINE OFTEN STALLS WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE. ENGINE IDLE SPEED CHANGES CONSTANTLY. DEALERSHIP UPDATED PROGRAM TWICE AND CLEANED THE THROTTLE TWICE AND CAR IS OK FOR ABOUT 3 DAYS AND THEN ALL THE SAME PROBLEMS RETURN. DEALERSHIP WILL NOT REPLACE THROTTLE UNDER THE WARRANTY OR EVEN IF I PAY FOR IT MYSELF.. *TR

I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR STALLING FOR OVER TWO YEARS. I HAVE HAD THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED TWICE. IN THE MONTH THE CAR HAS BEEN STALLING AT ALL SPEEDS AND SURGING WHEN BRAKING. THIS LAST STALLING EPISODE OCCURRED WHILE PULLING OUT INTO A THOROUGHFARE WHILE I WAS ACCELERATING TO GO SLIGHTLY UPHILL. SINCE I HAD NO POWER, I COULD NOT EVEN STEER THE CAR OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD QUICKLY. IT WAS AT NIGHT, THEREFORE AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THESE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN OCCURRING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, DESPITE ALL OF THE SERVICE THAT I HAVE HAD DONE ON THIS CAR. *NM

OUR 01 VOLVO V-70 XC HAD BEEN ACTING A LITTLE OFF, KIND OF SURGING A LITTLE WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, DEALER COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM.. SO WE TRIED TO IGNORE IT. ONE DAY A FEW MONTHS AGO MY WIFE (8 MO. PREGNANT) TOOK THE CAR TO THE CITY. ALONG THE WAY, SHE WAS GOING UP A HILL ON A TWO-LANE HIGHWAY, WHEN THE CAR STARTED LOOSING POWER AND FINALLY JUST QUITTING RIGHT THERE ON THE ROAD....NO SHOULDER...CARS WHIZZING BY. BY THE TIME I GOT THERE, THE CAR STARTED FINE, SO I SWITCHED HER VEHICLE AND SHE CONTINUED ON. UPON CALLING THE DEALER, I WAS INFORMED THAT I'D PROBABLY NEED TO HAVE THE "ETM THROTTLE" REPLACED. CAR STALLED OUT TWO MORE TIMES BEFORE WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT TO DEALER. $900 LATER, THE CAR WORKS FINE NOW. UPON LOOKING INTO THIS PROBLEM, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S HAPPENING TO ALL THE VOLVOS LIKE OURS! THIS CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM! WHAT CAN NHTSA DO ABOUT MAKING VOLVO REPLACE THESE FAULTY THROTTLES WITH BETTER ONES? *JB

ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2004 VOLVO XC-70 (2001) STALLED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH ON 695 WEST IN BALTIMORE JUST BEFORE THE EXIT FOR I-83. THE CAR WAS ALMOST HIT BY A SEMI TRAILER, AND SEVERAL OTHER CARS. THE CONTACT'S CAR HAD TO BE TOWED, AND THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, ON DECEMBER 1, 2004, THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN CAR STALLED AT AN INTERSECTION BUT WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT. THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE WAS REPAIRED AGAIN. *NM X-REF 10130923 2 REPLACEMENTS, SMCH. *AK

RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING MY ELDERLY MOTHER IN MY 2001 VOLVO XC 70 FROM OREGON TO CALIFORNIA WE HAD A VERY UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE THAT COULD HAVE COST US OUR LIVES. ALL OF A SUDDEN WE LOST TOTAL POWER IN 70+ MPH TRAFFIC, HAD TO SIT ON A VERY BUSY FREEWAY FOR 2 HOURS IN 100 DEGREE HEAT (UNABLE TO RUN THE AIR CONDITIONER) UNABLE TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE DUE TO HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC FLYING PAST US. MY DEAR MOTHER AND I WERE FINALLY RESCUED AND TOWED TO SAFETY SOME 70 MILES TO THE NEAREST VOLVO DEALER. THERE WE WERE TOLD THAT OUR ETM HAD FAILED. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THIS VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AS I HAVE NOW BEEN TOLD THAT THE PART THAT THEY REPLACED (A $1200.00 REPAIR) IS SIMPLY ANOTHER OF THE SAME KNOWN FAULTY PART. MY ETM FAILD AT ONLY 50,000 MILES AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR FATALITY. WE WERE REALLY LUCKY BUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT TIME? FROM NHTSA WEB SITE.

WE PURCHASED OUR 2001 VOLVO XC70 FROM A REPUTABLE DEALER IN IOWA CITY, IA WITH 72,000 MILES IN FEBRUARY OF 2005. THE DEALER REPORTED IT HAD BEEN WELL MAINTAINED PRIOR TO PURCHASE AND WE HAVE HAD IT CAREFULLY MAINTAINED, SINCE. ON OCTOBER 31ST OF 2005, ON MY WAY TO AN IMPORTANT INTERVIEW THE VOLVO BEGAN STUTTERING AND RUNNING ROUGHLY. THE VEHICLE REPORTED "REDUCED PERFORMANCE" ON THE DIAGNOSTIC DISPLAY AND THE "SERVICE ENGINE" LIGHT TURNED ON. I COULDN'T MAINTAIN A REASONABLE SPEED SO I PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE CAR. THE CAR HAD DIFFICULTY STARTING BUT I WAS ABLE TO EVENTUALLY START IT AND DRIVE TO A NEARBY REPAIR SHOP. I WAS REFERRED TO A VOLVO SPECIALIST AND THEY REPORTED IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE AND I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER AT A COST OF ABOUT $1200. I DON'T FEEL THAT AN ESSENTIAL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT LIKE THIS SHOULD FAIL SO EARLY ON A WELL MAINTAINED VEHICLE. THIS FAILURE STRIKES ME AS A POOR DESIGN - SIMILAR TO THE PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRIC FAN ON THIS VEHICLE THAT WAS FACTORY RECALLED. I UNDERSTAND THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM AND THERE IS A CLASS ACTION SUIT BEING TRIED IN CALIFORNIA. I UNDERSTAND THAT LATER MODEL CARS HAVE A DIFFERENT ETM AND HAVE FEWER PROBLEMS WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE VOLVO IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND HAS TAKEN STEPS TO RECTIFY IT, BUT ONLY FOR LATER MODEL CARS. I BELIEVE VOLVO SHOULD ALSO BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR CARS OF THE 2001 VINTAGE AND ISSUE A FACTORY RECALL. THE COSTS TO BE FOR THIS PROBLEM HAVE BEEN: BEING LATE TO MY SECURITY INTERVIEW FOR MY NEW JOB. 4 HOURS OF VACATION TIME FROM WORK 6+ HOURS OF PERSONAL TIME $1200 IN REPAIR COSTS 3+ HOURS DRIVING WIFE TO WORK BECAUSE RELIANCE ON 1 CAR ADDITIONAL FUEL COSTS BECAUSE OF BACK AND FORTH FERRYING WIFE TO WORK PLEASE PRESSURE VOLVO TO ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE THEM ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS DEFECT. THANKS. *NM

2001 VOLVO STALLED WITHOUT WARNING LEAVING MY WIFE AND 3 CHILDREN STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY. WHEN VEHICLE STALLED A "REDUCED POWER" MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED ON VEHICLE DISPLAY. AFTER LETTING VEHICLE SIT FOR 10 MINUTES, VEHICLE RESTARTED WITHOUT ERROR MESSAGE. DROVE FOR APPROX 15 MINUTES AND VEHICLE STALLED/CUT-OUT AGAIN; AGAIN STRANDING MY FAMILY ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. HAD TOWED TO DEALERSHIP; VOLVO DIAGNOSED A FAILED "ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE". THE ETM WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF $1016 TO ME. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AT APPROX 58,000 MILES. THANK GOD NOTHING HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY AS A RESULT OF THIS SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. *NM